Time Is But An Indicator
by Safui
Summary: The hands of a clock indicate times of significance. But what's the point of time if during life's most pivotal moments, it is the last thing on your mind?
1. 6:47am

**Guess who's back! (sort of...) I haven't gotten a chance to update my other multichapters but school has been so demanding and I feel like if I can't write impossibly long chapters with carefully thought out plotlines then I need to do the exact opposite. I need to exercise my writing skills but I also need to know the areas I have to improve on before I go back into it full time this summer, so I would really appreciate any advice you talented sons of guns have to offer! **

**I know the pregnancy fics have been done to death and I actually promised myself I wouldn't go down that route, but recently I've just been really into the prospect of these two having a kid (I've also been watching excessive amounts of One Born Every Minute and it's been evoking feels I never knew existed) In short, I decided to conjure up my own little scenarios to satisfy my need for a Ness baby. **

**I think it's important to note that I am the furthest thing from maternal and have absolutely no experience with babies or births, so I'm taking all of my knowledge from documentaries and my mother's reminiscence. Apologies if I completely screw up somewhere along the line, but that's what the review box is for, so utilise it to your advantage!**

**I will continue this depending on the response it gets. Enjoy!**

* * *

_**6:47am**_.

He couldn't even remember what happened. All he knew was that one moment he was dreaming about being the lead cellist at a major orchestra in Italy, next thing he knew his sheets were saturated and he was draping his coat over Jess' shoulders and helping her into his car. He didn't even think to call the guys in the meantime.

He whirred down the highway, rattling off words of reassurance while she remained stoic. Her relaxed demeanour terrified him the most. He was warned, by a Wikihow article nonetheless, that silence on the woman's part should be feared as the calm before a raging thunderstorm of screaming, crying and possible broken hands.

She wasn't showing much emotion, but he could tell she was nervous. She had kept him up the last few nights, seeing in her minds eye every worst possible scenario that may arise in the birthing suite and reciting them all back to him.

_What if I hemorrhage? _

_What if I feel no connection to her like Eva in We Need To Talk About Kevin? _

_What if there's a freak tsunami in the middle of it all and the hospital gets impacted immediately? _

He tried convincing her that she was being ludicrous, but if he was to be totally honest with himself, she began planting seeds of doubt in his mind as well. Perhaps it wouldn't hurt to pull one of the nurses aside just to affirm that everything would go smoothly.

They arrived at the emergency room at 7:04am. He pulled into the spot closest to the entrance, muttering a thank you to whatever holy deity had blessed them with an empty parking lot.

"You doing okay honey?"

She smiled back at him, teary eyed and her skin tinged pale.

"I'm just a little scared." Her voice was low and had a slight quaver. "All those birthing documentaries…" She shook her head, staring wide eyed in front of her at the bright red letters of the hospital entrance. "All that screaming."

Nick chuckled and took her hand.

"Am I gonna scream that much?"

He shook his head. "Well if you want a reason not to scream, just think about how you won't be able to sing afterwards because of how sore your throat is."

Considering the prospect of this, Jess sat back and let the silence linger so she could get to grips with what was about to happen. He shared the time doing some thinking of his own. The sudden realisation that this would be the last time driving this car without parental status overwhelmed and excited him. He could only imagine how she was feeling.

Accepting that this was going to happen one way or another, she clapped, breaking the silence, and drew in a deep breath. "Let's go have a baby!"


	2. 7:29am

_**7:29am**_

They sat in the waiting area of the maternity ward. Jess was on watch for the nurse they spoke to at the front desk to come back and bring them to their room. Already, the wait was agonising. She was just grateful to be sitting. Those few minutes she spent on her feet had exhausted her.

Her back ached no matter what position she sat in and she silently cursed the person who thought barely cushioned chairs would be appropriate in a setting like this. Luckily, they were the only two in there fortunate enough to have been hauled out of bed as nature took its course. The early hours and lack of sleep was beginning to catch up on the two of them.

Nick stood at a vending machine by the door. He was leaning against it with one hand on the glass, staring in at the selection and deep in thought.

_So many choices._

"You're taking your sweet time there, Nick."

"Hey, I'm about to be a father." He asserted, punching in the code to a single bag of skittles on the top shelf. "If I'm gonna be a role model for this kid this may be my last chance to conform to the government's candy box scheme. That and it's way too early to be awake without the aid of sugar and/or caffeine."

She paused. "Did you call the vending machine a candy box?"

He retrieved the skittles and sat in beside her, sighing loudly. "The key here, Jessica, is to start by finding your own terminology. The second you start mimicking them, you've been lured in to their trap and you're a product of the government. What kid wants a father like that?"

She nodded slowly, pretending as though everything he was saying made total sense to her. "Gotcha."

In any other situation she would have let him ramble on, but this time she was too tired and in no humour for it. There were much more important things on her mind. Having a baby, for example.

"You want one?" He asked, holding out the already half-empty bag to her.

"I really don't think now's the time to load myself with artificial crap. Are you even allowed to eat when you're in labour?"

He shrugged. "Do I look like a doctor?"

She let out a prolonged sigh and rested her head on his shoulder, folding her arms so that they sat comfortably on her protruding bump.

As time went on, she became increasingly agitated. All she could think about was sleep. If anything, she would have liked some contractions to keep her mind occupied.

"Where the hell is the nurse? I feel like someone put a yoga ball in me and is gradually pumping more air into it."

"That sounds accurate." He responded, popping two red candies into his mouth.

"I feel like I'm going to explode. This is your fault. _You did this to me._" She said playfully, prodding an accusing finger into his thigh.

He smiled. "I will happily accept the blame for putting an adorable child inside of you."

She smiled up at him, her eyelids heavy with sleeplessness. He gently pushed her bangs aside and ran his hand through her soft hair in an effort to relax her.

"Still no contractions?"

She shook her head. "Apart from the Braxton Hicks ones from last week, no. I'm starting to think I just peed myself instead of my waters breaking. My bladder is being crushed so much I can't tell what's coming from where."

"Well," he grimaced, crumpling up the wrapper and tossing it into a nearby trash can "when you do get them you've gotta promise me something."

"What's that?"

"If you want to break something, you have to avoid my writing hand. I've got a good feeling about my idea for my next book. Something tells me it'll be Printz worthy."

She smiled to herself, taking hold of his left hand and squeezing it tightly. "If I break it now will you stop going on about it?"

He winced and pulled away, shooting her daggers as he shook out the hand in question.

"I've changed my mind."

"Oh I bet." She scoffed.

"I'm not going into that room until you've been put in a straightjacket."

She giggled, fixing her attention on a flickering bulb in the overhead fluorescent lights. A few seconds of silence passed before they were both hit with the same realisation: the guys.

"Did you call them?"

"I was too busy helping you."

She rolled her eyes. As if she didn't already have enough to deal with.

"Well do it now before you give Winston a heart attack coming in tomorrow with a crying infant."

"If we're lucky enough to get home by tomorrow." He muttered, craning his neck a little to glance down the hall for any sign of a doctor.

Nick fished around in his pockets for his phone, only to be met by crumb-lined and lint laced fabric.

"Have you got your cell on you?"

She shook her head no. "I didn't think that in times like these, I would be the one held responsible for remembering the technology. Aren't there rules about cellphones in hospitals anyway?"

"We're just going to have to use the payphone then."

"So go do that." She said sharply.

He groaned and was just about to get up when a short plump woman appeared, calling on them to come to their room.

They stared at each other and Jess exhaled, boring her eyes into his and cleared her throat. His facial expression gave off a myriad of emotions. Perhaps the most identifiable one was bewilderment mixed with undeniable excitement. _  
_

She took hold of his hand and squeezed it, gentler this time, and tried to come to terms with how close they were to having the entire paradigm of their lives altered for the better.

"It's show time."


End file.
